Al Mayadeen – January 19, 2025
Hamas commitment to Gaza deal contingent on 'Israel's': Abu Obeida
for Hamas' al-Qassam Brigades extends profound gratitude to all those who stood with the Resistance in Gaza "in the face of injustice and tyranny."
Reaching an agreement to stop the Israeli aggression and the genocidal war against the Palestinian people has been the Resistance's goal for many months, Abu Obeida, the military spokesperson for Hamas' al-Qassam Brigades, said on Sunday, hours after the ceasefire agreement in Gaza came into effect.
Abu Obeida began by saluting the people of Gaza for crafting "a historical epic" that will forever stand as a milestone in the history of the Palestinian people.
He highlighted that during the Al-Aqsa Flood Battle, multiple fronts were opened against the Israeli occupation entity, and a naval blockade was even imposed on it.
Al-Aqsa Flood Battle has introduced new dynamics to the struggle against the occupation entity, Abu Obeida pointed out, emphasizing that the peoples of the world have come to recognize the occupation's very existence as the greatest sin ever committed.
The spokesperson praised the unity of the Resistance factions, stating, "We fought shoulder to shoulder with our brethren in all the Resistance factions as one entity with utmost steadfastness across the entirety of the Gaza Strip."
Despite seemingly impossible circumstances by military standards, according to Abu Obeida, the Resistance confronted the enemy with faith and limited weaponry, while the occupation relied on support from the world's strongest military powers.
He pointed to the leadership of the Al-Aqsa Flood Battle, noting that its "greatness" lies in the martyrdom of its leaders, including martyrs Ismail Haniyeh, Saleh al-Arouri, and Yahya Sinwar.
Throughout the battle, the Resistance sought a swift end to the war to spare the blood of the Palestinian people, he said, adding that "every drop of blood spilled on this land was for the sake of liberating the land and sanctities."
Declaring commitment to the ceasefire agreement, Abu Obeida made it clear that this commitment is contingent on the enemy’s adherence to the ceasefire and the terms of the exchange agreement.
He reaffirmed the Resistance's keenness to ensure the success of the agreement's terms and stages to protect the lives of the Palestinian people.
'Brothers in arms'
Abu Obeida extended profound gratitude to all those who stood with the Resistance "in the face of injustice and tyranny." He particularly extended gratitude "to the sincere brothers, Ansar Allah," and the Yemeni people, whose vehement spirit astonished the world.
He also saluted "the brothers in arms and battle in the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon, and behind them, the free people of Lebanon, who have long been a support and ally to the Palestinian Resistance and revolution for many decades."
In this battle, the Lebanese people have "paid a heavy price with the leadership of the Resistance, its fighters, and the sons of the Lebanese brotherly people," Abu Obeida noted.
They "embodied the unity of blood, destiny, and purpose alongside their brethren in Gaza and Palestine," he added.
Abu Obeida also extended heartfelt salutations to the city of Jenin in the occupied West Bank, describing it as "Gaza's spiritual sister" in resistance and steadfastness.
He also expressed gratitude to Iran for its unwavering support and involvement in this historic struggle through Operation True Promise and unwavering support through all possible means. Additionally, he saluted "the free Iraqi Resistance" and the "courageous fighters in Jordan, who crossed borders and pointed their weapons in the right direction," along with the free people worldwide who demonstrated in solidarity with Gaza and declared their support for the Resistance.
"O our people, we will rebuild together what the occupation has destroyed," al-Qassam's spokesperson declared. He also underlined that "this is a time for solidarity, compassion, and cooperation," vowing to thwart all the occupation's plans and ambitions.
He affirmed that every attempt to integrate the Zionist entity into the region "would be met with a flood of awareness, deeply entrenched resistance, and the unwavering support of free peoples worldwide."
"This criminal enemy remains the root cause of all suffering in the region," Abu Obeida underscored.
Qassam Brigades: Al-Aqsa Strom final nail in Israeli regime’s coffin
The Palestinian resistance movement of Hamas has extended its gratitude towards Iran, Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Yemen’s Armed Forces, and the Iraqi Resistance for their support for the Gaza Strip, saying Operation al-Aqsa Strom hammered the final nail in the Israeli regime’s coffin.
Abu Ubaida, the spokesman for al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military wing, made the remarks in a videotaped speech on Sunday, hours after the ceasefire deal between the Israeli regime and the resistance group went into effect in Gaza.
“Operation al-Aqsa Strom began from the outskirts of Gaza, but it changed the face of the region and introduced new equations in the conflict with the occupying entity, and led to the opening of new battlefronts and forced the entity to turn to international powers to support it,” he said.
he spokesman said, "Hamas and all the resistance factions fought as one across the Gaza Strip and they dealt fatal blows to the enemy, with great valor and courage until the last hours of the battle, and they were fighting in conditions that seemed impossible."
He also stressed that "all attempts to integrate the Zionist entity into the region will face deep-rooted resistance," emphasizing that all efforts and plans must be focused on how to contain “this criminal enemy.”
Abu Ubaida further noted that “the great sacrifices” of Palestinians during 15 months of Israel’s brutal aggression against Gaza “will not go in vain,” adding that Operation al-Aqsa Strom hammered the final nail in the Israeli regime’s coffin and the occupying entity will undoubtedly disappear.
He also called on all mediators to force the Israeli regime to implement the ceasefire agreement, while reaffirming Hamas and the resistance factions’ commitment to the truce.
Earlier this week, Israel was forced to agree to a ceasefire, accepting Hamas' longstanding negotiation terms.
The ceasefire deal consists of three phases, each lasting 42 days. Negotiations for the second and third phases will begin 16 days after the implementation of the first phase.
The first phase will see the release of some 1,900 Palestinian abductees in exchange for 33 Israeli captives held in Gaza. It also requires Israeli occupation forces to begin withdrawing from the Philadelphi corridor - also known as the Salah al-Din axis - on the Gaza-Egypt border.
Israel unleashed its brutal Gaza onslaught on October 7, 2023, after Hamas carried out a historic operation against the occupying entity in retaliation for its intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.
However, the Tel Aviv regime failed to achieve its declared objectives of freeing captives and eliminating Hamas despite killing nearly 47,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, in Gaza.
Al Mayadeen – January 19, 2025
Israel killed 193 journalists in Gaza in 2024
The Palestinian Journalists' Syndicate documented 64 instances of journalist detentions by IOF in Gaza and the West Bank.
The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate announced Sunday that 193 journalists were killed by Israeli occupation forces in the war on Gaza in 2024.
Nasser Abu Bakr, head of the Syndicate, shared this information at the annual Freedom Conference on Sunday at the Syndicate's Ramallah headquarters. The event, titled "A Wounded Voice and a Clearer Image," addressed the difficulties faced by journalists working in Palestine.
Abu Bakr stressed the determination of Palestinian journalists, highlighting that, despite facing violence, including killings, bombings, and destruction, they remained steadfast in their commitment to reporting the truth. He confirmed that the Syndicate would submit its third complaint to the International Criminal Court regarding these attacks on journalists.
Mohammad al-Laham, head of the Syndicate's Freedom Committee, presented the committee's annual report, which urged attention to the toll of attacks on journalists. The report revealed that 86 journalists were injured by live ammunition and rocket shrapnel, with the number of fatalities surpassing the injuries, indicating that all injured journalists had been potential targets.
The report also documented 64 instances of journalist detentions by IOF in Gaza and the West Bank, as well as the destruction, partial destruction, or seizure of 54 media institutions. It also reported instances of Israeli forces attempting to run over journalists with military vehicles.
Al-Laham noted a marked rise in incidents of live fire aimed at journalists to intimidate them and obstruct coverage. In 2024, 148 such incidents resulted in injuries, compared to 85 injuries from toxic gas inhalation and tear gas canisters.
The report also highlighted the continued restrictions on journalistic work, including the detention, threats, and kidnapping of journalists, as well as disruptions to press activities through targeted attacks on communication networks and the hacking of Palestinian social media content.
IOF killed 10 Palestinian journalists in December
Earlier this month, the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate confirmed that the Israeli occupation continues its systematic targeting of Palestinian journalists, even committing massacres against them, as evidenced by the execution of 10 journalists last December.
In a press statement issued on Saturday, the syndicate’s Freedoms Committee noted that the Israeli occupation forces committed 84 violations, attacks, and crimes against Palestinian journalists last month.
The most prominent occurred in Gaza, where 10 journalists were killed, including five in a brutal massacre while inside a live broadcast vehicle, the statement said.
It added that eight family members of journalists were killed, three journalists’ homes were destroyed, and five journalists sustained severe injuries from shrapnel and gunfire.
The Freedoms Committee documented the detention and prevention of coverage for approximately 20 journalists and crews, the arrest of seven journalists, and gunfire directed at journalists in 11 incidents.
Additionally, 10 journalists were brutally beaten, and three cases involving the destruction and seizing of work equipment were reported in both the West Bank and Gaza.
The statement emphasized that journalists faced numerous forms of aggression, including direct threats with weapons, exposure to toxic tear gas, unjust trials, financial penalties, travel bans, interrogations, and attempted vehicular assaults.
https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/-israel--killed-194-journalists-in-gaza-in-2024
Al Mayadeen – January 19, 2025
Gaza ceasefire a victory for Palestine, YAF to remain on alert
The Supreme Political Council says Yemen will closely monitor the Israeli occupation's commitment to implementing the agreement.
The ceasefire agreement in Gaza is a victory for Palestine and for the fighters of the Resistance factions, particularly Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) movement, who led Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, the Supreme Political Council in Yemen stressed on Sunday.
In a statement, the Supreme Political Council said Yemen will closely monitor the Israeli occupation's commitment to implementing the agreement, which entered into effect this morning.
The statement added that the Yemeni Armed Forces will remain on alert, prepared, and ready to act should any developments happen, continuing their role in supporting the Palestinian people in every possible way.
The Supreme Political Council also praised the role of the YAF and the Yemeni people, who have continuously supported and relentlessly stood by Palestine.
It also hailed the heroic and top-tier operations carried out by all the support and Resistance fronts in Lebanon and Iraq, acknowledging their role in the battle despite the heavy sacrifices.
"We commend the role of the Islamic Republic of Iran in supporting and backing the Palestinian people's efforts to liberate and free themselves from occupation," the statement added.
On Saturday, the YAF warned hostile forces in the Red Sea against launching an aggression on Yemen during the ceasefire period in Gaza.
YAF spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree stressed that any aggression on Yemen will be responded to by top-tier military operations restricted by "no ceiling or red lines."
The ceasefire agreement in Gaza came into effect on Sunday at 08:30 local time (06:30 UTC), reigniting hope for an end to the aggression and the genocidal war that "Israel" has waged on the Gaza Strip for the past 15 months. The war has resulted in tens of thousands of martyrs, wounded, missing, and detained, while millions of Palestinians have been displaced.
Shortly after the ceasefire took effect on Sunday, the Israeli occupation military began violating the agreement, killing and injuring several Palestinians.
Palestinian Information Center – January 19, 2025
Gaza reconstruction likely to cost $80 billion
Estimates vary regarding the costs of Gaza reconstruction after 15 months of Israeli genocidal war on the besieged enclave.
In August 2024, the Bloomberg Network quoted experts as assessing the costs of Gaza reconstruction and restoring the destroyed labor market may exceed $80 billion, along with $700 million to remove 42 million tons of rubble.
In a previous report, the World Bank and the United Nations estimated the damage to the vital infrastructure in Gaza between October 2023 and January 2024 at about $18.5 billion.
Last October, the UN indicated that the removal of 42 million tons of aggregate left by the Israeli occupation aggression may take years and cost $1.2 billion.
In April 2024, the UN pointed out that the removal of the rubble will likely take 14 years, adding that the Palestinian Ministry of Health estimated last May that there were about 10,000 bodies under the rubble.
A UN report published in 2024 shows that rebuilding destroyed houses in the Gaza Strip may continue until at least 2040, and it may take decades.
According to the UN satellite data in December, about 69% of the buildings in Gaza, more than 170,000 buildings, were destroyed or leveled to the ground.
According to UN estimates, this statistic includes a total of 245,123 individual apartments, while the United Nations Emergency Relief Office said that more than 1.8 million people in the Gaza Strip currently need an emergency shelter.
A UN and World Bank report estimated that the infrastructure damage was about $18.5 billion until the end of January 2024.
UN-analyzed satellite images show that more than half of the agricultural lands in Gaza had been damaged due to the war, while the UN Food and Agriculture Organization said last year that 15,000 heads of livestock, more than 95% of the total livestock, and about half of the sheep were killed or died since the start of the fighting.
As for institutions, Palestinian data show that the war led to the destruction of more than 200 government establishments, 136 schools, 823 mosques and three churches.
The UN Humanitarian Office report showed that many hospitals were destroyed during the aggression, with only 17 out of 36 units partially operating in January.
Last Thursday, the World Health Organization announced that rebuilding the health system in the Gaza Strip in the coming years requires $10 billion.
https://english.palinfo.com/news/2025/01/19/332516/
Palestinian Information Center – January 16, 2025
Who lost the Gaza war, Hamas or Netanyahu?
At last, after 15 months of brutal attacks and committing unprecedented crimes, Israeli Occupation state agreed on a ceasefire without achieving any of its goals declared at the beginning of the genocide —destroying Hamas, liberating Israeli prisoners in Gaza and securing safe return for Zionist settlers to the settlements in the Gaza periphery.
Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his fanatic entourage exerted their utmost efforts to destroy Gaza and kill its inhabitants in front of the whole world, using the most developed lethal weapons and threatening to even force them out of Gaza or exterminate them.
The United States and many other countries, including Western, Arab and Muslim countries such as Germany, France, Egypt, the UAE and Saudi Arabia clearly backed the Israeli genocide in Gaza. Many of them took direct part in the war crimes.
After all of this, Netanyahu’s immoral army could not free except few number of Israeli prisoners. After 54 days of the genocide, he freed tens of them only through a deal with the Palestinian Resistance. Had Hamas insisted not to offer a goodwill gesture, they would not have been released.
This night, after 467 days of committing “livestream genocide”, Netanyahu got down on his knees and agreed to strike a deal with Hamas that guarantees the release of Israeli prisoners.
Referring to the text of the deal, it is clear that it met almost completely all the demands put by Hamas during the war, and it is very clear that even a single demand from Netanyahu’s has not been met. In addition to this, the Israeli Occupation plunged into swamps it did not expect at all. At the same time, a prediction by late Hamas leader in Gaza, Yahya Al Sinwar, was realized.
Netanyahu agreed to strike the ceasefire deal with Hamas. This point explodes Netanyahu’s goals as he had pledged to destroy Hamas but, in the end he found himself striking a deal with it. Even he, during the last 24 hours before Hamas’ announcement, his office along with the Americans were reported saying they were waiting for Hamas’ response.
All the Israeli politics along with Israel’s genocide sponsor were waiting for Hamas to decide. All their power and influence could not oblige Hamas to surrender and retreat.
The release of Israeli prisoners also is not the result of Netanyahu’s pogroms, but the result of Hamas’ agreement, and based on its own demands —the release of Palestinian prisoners, including those who have been in prison for decades and are convicted for life terms. The Israeli Occupation wanted these prisoners to die in prison, but they will be free, thanks to Hamas resilience.
Regarding Netanyahu’s third goal, it would not have been also realized without Hamas’ consent.
In addition to Netanyahu’s failure to achieve the goals of his genocide, he made of Israel a pariah state as its name has become synonymous with criminal and immoral people. Despite the unprecedented crackdown on hundreds of thousands of anti-Israel demonstrators in the largest Western and American cities, people continued their demonstrations.
Under popular pressure of financial and academic institutions have cut or promised to cut their relations with Israel. Netanyahu’s genocide in Gaza has opened the eyes of the American and Western people who recognized how much Zionists are deeply rooted in their political systems.
In an old recorded speech for Al Sinwar, he predicted that Israel is to become an isolated state. It seems that Netanyahu’s war crimes in Gaza fulfilled Al Sinwar’s prediction. Its PM and FM are wanted by the ICC, and Israeli soldiers are legally chased everywhere, mainly in the West. Many have, so far, fled secretly from different countries after they became wanted for detention.
Regardless of the number of deaths, wounded and the large scale destruction, what more is needed to prove that Hamas won the war? The indications of victory are not measured by the scale of sacrifices, but measured by which side accepts the conditions of the other. I see Israel’s Netanyahu has accepted Hamas conditions.
Some say that both Hamas and Netanyahu came under the pressure of the US President-elect, Donald Trump. I say: no, because Trump is Netanyahu’s friend and Netanyahu used Trump as leverage to his defeat when he told his partners, who had been against the deal, that they are going to get much strategic gains through Trump.
What pushed Netanyahu to accept the ceasefire deal is the miraculous Palestinian Resistance. Israeli soldiers on the ground said several times that they were fighting ghosts in Gaza.
Will Netanyahu respect the terms of the deal? I don’t know, but the Zionists, in general, are used to breaching every deal and the Americans are not a trusted party to be a guarantor of the deal, but if they returned to the war, the Palestinian Resistance is ready to be there.
-Motasem A Dalloul is MEMO’s correspondent in the Gaza Strip.
https://english.palinfo.com/opinion_articles/who-lost-the-gaza-war-hamas-or-netanyahu/
Daily Sabah – January 18, 2025
Palestinians will live in honor, Zionists in genocidal shame
By Ihsan Aktas
In the future, Zionists will be remembered as perpetrators of genocide in Gaza, while Palestinians will be celebrated as heroes for their resistance
One of the darkest genocides in human history has come and gone.
It feels as though we are witnessing a theater play on the stage of history or a movie unfolding in the flow of time – its script having begun and concluded.
Humanity has endured immense genocides, destruction and trauma. Many of these atrocities stem from European countries colonizing nations in Africa, Asia and Latin America, leading to widespread slavery and genocide – many of which remain largely unknown or forgotten today.
Throughout history, Jews have faced countless atrocities and injustices, including murders committed against them during the Middle Ages. They have endured marginalization, genocide, exile, occupation, confinement in ghettos and dehumanizing attitudes that described them as the devil, as germs or as the source of all earthly and ethereal evil.
Humanity has witnessed immense destruction and massacres throughout history, such as those under the Genghis Khan Empire. It has also endured the devastations of World War I and World War II. In World War II, despite efforts to adhere to the laws of war, an estimated 40 million lives were lost.
The history of mass genocides, particularly the Holocaust – the systematic genocide against the Jews carried out under Adolf Hitler – has left an unforgettable impact on humanity.
In order not to be subjected to such genocide again, the Jews made this genocide the center of their lives and enslaved all the states in the West by surrounding them like an octopus. Such a sentence might sound too assertive, but the nations globally have remained so silent in the face of the massacre and genocide in Gaza that some arguments and motives justify the above sentence 1,000 times over.
Fors and against
The United States delivered millions of tons of bombs to kill women and children in Gaza. Germany continued its support similarly. The Scandinavian countries, Spain and especially Ireland, opposed the issue at the state level. At the same time, the Republic of South Africa showed an extraordinary example of humanity and justice and filed a criminal case with the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Türkiye determined its position from the very first day. The strong leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, let alone accusing Hamas on behalf of the Israelis or the Western media, likened them to the “Kuvayi Milliye” protecting their land – the Turkish national militia forces composing the core of resistance in the early period of the Turkish War of Independence.
At this pivotal moment in history, Erdoğan exerted significant influence, as the wars today are through global psychological warfare besides being fought on the battlefield. Erdoğan's statement provided Hamas with an extraordinary psychological advantage.
Proud heroes of Gaza
History will record what we have already witnessed: the legendary resistance, heroism and patience of Gazans, their mothers who lost their children seeking refuge in God and asking for his help, and on the other hand, Israel's committing all the unimaginable crimes and massacres to human beings.
Tomorrow, both nations will walk the earth under the world's spotlight. Humanity will remember Gazans for their heroism, adherence to the laws of war, moral integrity, and ultimate sacrifice in defending their land.
In addition, except in Türkiye and a few Islamic countries, the dictatorial heads of state of some Islamic countries, who trembled with fear, did not support the protection of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. In a way, the Gazans were loyal to their covenant and became the flagbearers of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The genocidal Zionists will not forget the atrocities they committed. They will not forget the massacres, how they killed children and slaughtered babies. Jews globally, the Israeli soldiers and rulers will be traumatized through their entire future lives. Wherever they go, this shame will follow them like a ghost.
Genocidal psychology
When the Bosnia-Herzegovina War ended, one of the fellow warriors of Aliya Izetbegovic made a profoundly striking statement: “The Bosnian War is over. The Bosnians lost nearly 400,000 lives, but today, they stand as honorable people in the eyes of the world. The Serbs, on the other hand, are remembered as perpetrators of massacres and genocide – people who attacked their neighbors, those they had lived alongside in the same buildings for 40 years, even murdering their children. They now live in profound trauma, and many of them have taken their own lives.”
And the world will witness these two groups of people: The Palestinians will be remembered as among the most honorable and moral people on earth. The Zionists, on the other hand, will continue to be regarded as genocidal and among the most immoral people, along with their state and army.
İhsan Aktaş is Chairman of the Board of GENAR Research Company. He is an academic at the Department of Communication at Istanbul Medipol University.
Anadolu Agency - January 18, 2025
Palestinian resilience triumphs over Israeli genocide
Without Palestinian resilience and resistance, no agreement would have been possible. Netanyahu demanded total Palestinian surrender and failed.
Dr. Sami Al-Arian
Since the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas on Israeli military bases and settlements near the outskirts of Gaza, Israel has been waging a vicious war of extermination against the Strip for over 15 months — on a scale unseen since World War II.
In the devastation unleashed on Gaza, at least 60,000 people have been killed or are missing, and 140,000 have been injured, 60% of whom were women and children. More than 2 million Gazans have been internally displaced. Throughout this relentless onslaught, the Zionist regime systematically destroyed every facet of civilian life, including hospitals, clinics, universities, schools, bakeries, markets, roads, power stations, water desalination and sewage treatment plants, public buildings, mosques, churches, and the majority of residential buildings and neighborhoods. The entire city now lies in ruins. Nothing has been spared.
Worldwide failure to stop the genocide
For 470 days, genocide in a 365-square-kilometer (nearly 141-square-mile) enclave has been televised and live-streamed before a paralyzed world unable to stop it, despite overwhelming condemnation by over 170 nations. The UN's secretary-general, General Assembly, Security Council, and International Court of Justice (ICJ), as well as countless tribunals, human rights organizations, and NGOs have all called for it to end. Tens of millions of people have demonstrated across the globe, demanding an immediate halt to the unimaginable suffering of the people of Gaza.
Because of the crippling siege and brutal war of starvation that Israel unleashed on Gaza, injured and sick Palestinians have faced an acute lack of medicine and medical supplies, compounded by severe shortages of food, water, electricity, and gas for heating. Scenes of children dying from extreme cold and stray dogs scavenging human remains have become disturbingly common. Yet, the Zionist regime has continued its genocidal campaign uninterrupted. Throughout this campaign of ethnic cleansing and extermination, Israel has been enabled by the US, which has provided it with over $22 billion in military aid, along with political cover, diplomatic protection, and other forms of support that facilitated this slaughter. As a parting gift, the complicit Biden administration recently notified the US Congress of another $8 billion package of ammunition and military hardware for Israel.
For over a year, all attempts by the UN and other mediators — including Egypt, Qatar, the US, and others — have essentially been rejected by Israel. Last May, US President Joe Biden proposed a multi-phase deal to end the war in exchange for the release of hostages. While Hamas accepted the proposal, it was promptly rejected by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Similarly, a version of the deal proposed by Egypt and Qatar, with tacit US approval in early July, was also rebuffed by Netanyahu. Throughout these attempts, Israel intensified its military campaign, killing scores of Palestinians daily, occupying more land, displacing the majority of residents from their homes in the north, while continuing to destroy as much of Gaza’s infrastructure as possible.
But despite the carnage, the Zionist regime was unable to eradicate Hamas or find an alternative to rule Gaza. Netanyahu remains incapable of declaring “total victory” or securing the release of hostages through military pressure. Meanwhile, the Israeli army continues to suffer significant casualties in its war of attrition against Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and other resistance factions in Gaza. Many military observers have noted the mounting losses and the absence of any clear strategic objectives.
Trump's discourse change
Amid this colossal failure, US President-elect Donald Trump aims to begin his administration on Jan. 20 without inheriting this impasse and its catastrophic implications. During his presidential campaign last summer, he called for Netanyahu to “complete the job” by destroying Hamas. Having seen no success on that front, Trump has since shifted his focus to ending the catastrophic war. He announced that hell would break loose if the hostages were not released by his inauguration day. While many interpreted this as a threat against Hamas and the Palestinians, it is unclear what else Trump could do to them that the Zionist regime has not already done. This week, Trump’s incoming Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, met with Netanyahu and effectively warned him that if no agreement were reached, there would be serious consequences. Within days, Netanyahu capitulated, accepting all the conditions that Hamas had previously set and that he had rejected before.
Hamas and its partners set five key markers for any deal, which have been part of former deals and the current agreement.
A firm commitment to a permanent ceasefire, guaranteed by the three mediators: Qatar, Egypt, and the US.
A complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza after the second phase.
A just prisoner exchange deal, in which Israeli captives are released in exchange for thousands of Palestinians held by Israel, including hundreds serving life sentences or long terms.
Massive aid and supplies to the suffering Palestinians.
Large-scale reconstruction and rehabilitation projects in Gaza.
In previous agreements, these conditions were either scuttled or rejected by Israel. Under this deal, they are now integral parts of the agreement, complete with details on how they will be implemented.
The answer to who won and who lost in this dark chapter should be clear. Without Palestinian resilience and resistance, no agreement would have been possible. Netanyahu demanded total Palestinian surrender and failed. Meanwhile, the Palestinians effectively broke the chains of their prison in a daring operation on Oct. 7, continuing their struggle for freedom and self-determination. Through this deal, they have shown the world that their march toward liberation remains undeterred.
